Inlet-grate



G. D. FAIRTRACE.

|:NLET GRATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 1920.

Pat ented Nov. 30, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

gnoenloz G. D. FAIRTRACE.

INLET GRATE.

I Q I APPLICATION FILED MAY 1'1, 1920. 1,360,630. Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1 (W7 N N N 1w v a t f 751') ACC; 01%5 I I $51 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

causes in. remrimcn, or DALLAS; TEXAS, ASSIGNOR T0 JOE A; enaarry, or D L COUNTY, TEXAS.

V INLET-GRATE.

.1 ,seaeso.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnome. l). FAR}- rnaon, citizen of the United States I of America, residing at Dallas, inthe county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Inlet-Grates, of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in inlet grates.

The invention has to do with certain improvements in inlet grates such as are used on streets and roads for carrying off water sewers and catching basins. These is considerable trafiic and unless they are evenly supported, are likely to be rocked and displaced. I In casting structures of this nature it is almost impossible to keep the same from warping and it has been found that where they are supported on a marginal flange, the grate will be higher at one point than at another and will thus rock or tilt when traffic passes over the same. This has several disadvantages in that it often causes the grate to be displaced, or broken and provides a space in which trash may lodge thus causing a portion of the grate to project up above the surface, the disadvantage of which is obvious; It is often necessary to use more than one grate and the conditions at each installation are notalways the same and this often requires a special construction and considerable expense The aim of this invention is to provide a grate which will overcomethe foregoing difficulties and meet the various requirements. Animportant feature resides. in the provision of a grate and means for uniformly supporting the same whereby it will not rock and thus be displaced by traffic. Another important point lies in the production of a grate unit and support which permits of the ready assembling ,of several units without a great expense and in a simple manner.

' In carrying out'the invention I provide a supporting frame which may be of any approved construction but which must include spaced supporting lugs and a marginal laterally extending base flange. The lugs must be disposed within the frame and should have a restricted upper surface at each location so that if the grate does not set level the upper surfaces of the lugs Specification of Letters Patent Patented 30" 192() Application filed. May 17, 1920. Serial No. 382,021. I

giving the trouble may be easily off and the grate uniformly supported. The unit includes a grate having openings separated by downwardly converging ribs whereby said openings are self cleaning and the grate cannot become clogged. By the elimination of the base flanges at the adgacent ends of the: frames, the latter may be bolted together and. several units thus assembled easily and readily. Other important features will be hereinafter more particularlypointed out. i a The invention will be more readily undestood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the ac companying drawings, in which an example of the invention. is shown, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan View of agrate unit constructed in accordance with my invention, 7 1 I Fig. 2 is a longitudinal-sectional view on the line j2-2 of Fig. 1,

"Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, V

, the units secured together,

chipped Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional View,

and i Fig. Gfis a sectional detail showing the grategresting onone of the supporting lugs.

In the drawings the numeral 10 designates a frame which is preferably rectangular inplan. The inner wallof the frame is preferably f perpendicular, but the outer wall is given a slight downward flare so as to make the lower portion of the frame thicker. The frame has at its bottom an outwardly directed flange or base -11, which is preferably confincdto the ends and one side of,the;frame,;but not necessarily so. In F ig. 1 the flange is shown as terminat: ingflush with that side: of the frame which doesnot have a base flange; Strengthening webs 12 are provided at the corners of the frame where the flanges intersect and at spaced locations along the ends and side of said frame.

WVithin the frame and at each corner a supporting lug 13 is cast integral therewith. Other supporting lugs 14 are provided on the inner wall of the frame at spaced intervals as is clearly shown. These lugs extend from the bottom of the frame to about half the height of the same and preferably have their upper surfaces termi nating in the same horizontal plane. An inlet grate 15 is arranged to it in the frame and rests on the lugs 13 and 14:. The frame is provided with transverse openings or slots 16 separated by ribs 17, which latter converge downwardly whereby the slots flare downwardly and are thus non-clogging. This makes a self cleaning grate as is apparent.

he grate when resting on the lugs has its upper surface a fraction of an inch below the upper edge of the frame. It is pointed out that the grate will be supported on the lugs and if it is found that the grate does not rest firmly on any particular lug the top of the other lugs may be chipped off until an even bearing is had on all of the lugs. In order to facilitate this the lugs 14 are tapered upwardly as are also the lugs 13. This gives the lugs suflicient strength and reduces the bearing surface which would have to be cut off. It is obvious that by this simple arrangement a grate may be firmly supported so that it will not rock and cannot be displaced under traffic. Further the lugs offer a very restricted surface for the lodgment oftrash and the like and therefore little trouble will be experienced by trash getting under the edges of the grate and cans ing the same to project above the frame and thus be chipped off by traffic. It is further pointed out that structures of this character are usually very roughly casted and ordinarily there will be more or less flash on the edges of the grate. It is obvious that if a continuous supporting ledge was used for the grate that it would be necessary to file off this flash and get a firm bearing. WVith the present construction it is only necessary to chip off the flash and rough edges at the points where the lugs support the grate and this is very quickly and expeditiously done. It will be seen that if the grate is warped in casting it will be easy to provide a uniform bearing by chipping off the lugs at the necessary points.

The grate and frame constitute a unit and by omitting the base flange 11 from one side it may be placed in proximity to a curb stone and used as a drain into a catch basin as is well known in this art. It is sometimes necessary to provide a large grate or grating surface. With my invention the same size unit may be used throughout and by dressing off or omitting the base flange at one end of each frame two frames may be placed end to end and secured together as by bolts 18. be placed under the ends which are connect-- ed as is shown in Figs. 4 and and the assembled units adequately supported. It is pointed out that the end flanges may be omitted in the casting of the frame or it would be possiblev to remove the same after the frame had been cast. It will be seen that any number of units could be assembled.

What I claim, is:

1. In an inlet grate, a frame, a group of upstanding supporting lugs arranged within and cast upon the inner face of the frame and extending entirely around said inner face, said upstanding supporting lugs being spaced and terminating below the top of the frame, said upstanding supporting lugs tapering upwardly for providing reduced upper ends, and a grate arranged within the upper end of the frame and having flat lower portions engaging with the upper extremities only of the tapered lugs, said grate being arranged adjacent to the top of the frame and subjected to the action of traffic, said tapered lugs having their upper reduced ends adapted to be readily cut down whereby the grate may be evenly supported by all of said lugs and confined within said frame.

2. In an inlet grate, a pair of rectangular frames, provided upon their outer sides and corresponding ends with outwardly projecting flanges, the inner adjacent sides of A supporting beam 19 may the frames being free from said flanges and having transverse openings formed therein,- upstanding supporting lugs arranged within and cast upon the inner faces of the frames and terminating beneath ,the upper ends thereof, the upper ends of said lugs being adapted to be readily cut down, a grate arranged within the upper portion of each frame and supported by said lugs, bolts passing through the openings in the inner sides of said frames, and a beam arranged beneath the inner sides and supporting them.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

GEORGE D. FAIRTRACE. 

